Magnetic disks which serve as recording media, i.e., the so-called floppy disks, are relatively inexpensive and good in workability. Recently, therefore, magnetic disk apparatuses employing magnetic disks have come into wide use.
To miniaturize the magnetic disk apparatuses, the magnetic disks have been reduced in size and improved in recording density. In the miniaturization of magnetic disk apparatuses, it is necessary to reduce the size of the apparatus for loading the recording medium into and ejecting it from the magnetic disk apparatus housing, as well as the size of the recording medium or magnetic disk.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a prior art magnetic disk loading/ejecting apparatus. In this apparatus, bucket 12 is swingably supported on a chassis 10. A cartridge 1 containing a floppy disk is inserted into the bucket 12 and directed toward the swinging center of the bucket 12. A stopper 12 is swingably supported on the chassis 10. The stopper 22 is so designed that its upper retaining portion engages a pin 16 which protrudes from one lateral face of the bucket 12, thereby locating the bucket 12 in a floppy disk operating position. The stopper 22 is rocked by an ejecting lever 18, and it is urged by a tension spring 20 to rotate toward the position where the retaining portion of the stopper 22 engages with the pin 16. Thus, the cartridge 1 is loaded when it is inserted into the bucket 12, to rock the same toward the chassis 10, thereby causing the pin 16 to be held by the retaining portion of the stopper 22. The cartridge 1 is ejected when the ejecting lever 18 is pushed, to disengage the pin 16 from the retaining portion of the stopper 22, thereby causing the bucket 12 to be rocked away from the chassis 10 by a coil spring 14.
In the prior art loading/ejecting apparatus, however, it is necessary to rock the cartridge with a substantial radius of rotation, thereby preventing the magnetic head from being crushed at the time of the cartridge loading or ejecting operation. Thus, the rocking of the bucket 12 requires a substantial space, resulting in an increase in the size of the prior art loading/ejecting apparatus. The bulkiness of the loading/ejecting apparatus constitutes a hindrance to the miniaturization of the magnetic disk aparatus.
While a technique has been proposed for use in preventing the magnetic head from being crushed by the cartridge loading or ejecting operation, the conventional technique of this type would only complicate the structure and increase the size of the apparatus.